Faculty of Science Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRAs)
Each summer, students have the opportunity to work alongside professors from the Faculty of Science in their research labs. These awards are intended to stimulate the interest of undergraduate students by providing them with valuable experiential learning opportunities in a scientific research environment. Students holding one of these awards will participate in research activities during their work period.
Please note that the USRA application form is now available for review only. Applications will open in early January and are due by the end of January.
On this page
Overview of awards
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Awards list
There are seven different types of awards for which you may apply:
- NSERC
- NSERC Indigenous
- NSERC Black student researchers
- Faculty of Science Undergraduate Student Research Award
- The Jack Prior Memorial Undergraduate Summer Research Prize
- H.D. Gesser Undergraduate Summer Research Prize in Chemistry
- Philip Hultin Pedagogy Fund
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Important notes
- The awards described here are for students to work with Faculty of Science supervisors only. If you wish to work with a researcher at the Max Rady College of Medicine or any other Faculty, please ask directly through their respective Faculty offices.
- Please note that you can apply to more than one Faculty/College (that is Faculty of Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Price Faculty of Engineering and Max Rady College of Medicine), but not to 2 supervisors in the same Faculty/College.
Timeline
Your summer research position will be for 16 consecutive weeks beginning in May and ending the last week of August.
The duration of the NSERC, NSERC Indigenous, Faculty of Science USRA, H.D. Gesser USR Prize in Chemistry and Jack Prior Memorial USR Prize is 16 consecutive weeks. If a supervisor wishes to extend this period, the difference will have to be provided by the supervisor’s grant(s).
If you wish to take summer courses, please discuss this with your potential supervisor before applying for an award.
Location of tenure
Students undertake their research projects through any department in the Faculty of Science.
Expected work
You will be working daily hours equivalent to a full-time job and the hours you work will be determined by your supervisor.
Professional workshop and poster competition
All award recipients are expected to participate in the Faculty of Science lunch hour professional workshops (a minimum of 4 over the summer term) which can work in conjunction with the SURE program. Students will have the opportunity to compete in an end-of-summer term poster competition.
Eligibility
Only Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents of Canada are eligible for an NSERC, NSERC Indigenous or NSERC Black student researchers. International students on a study permit are not eligible for NSERC or NSERC Indigenous awards but are eligible for the Faculty of Science USRA and the other awards on this page.
Eligibility criteria
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Cumulative GPA
- NSERC, NSERC Black student researchers, the Jack Prior Memorial USR Prize and H.D. Gesser USR Prize in Chemistry applicants must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher.
- NSERC Indigenous and Faculty of Science USRA applicants must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Credit and course load
- At the time of application in January, students must have completed at least 24 credit hours in a bachelor's program within the year immediately before applying (spanning January to December). Students in their first year would need to have been registered full-time in the Summer Term and full-time in the Fall Term in order to be eligible.
Academic Terms:- Summer Term, May to August
- Fall Term, September to December
- Winter Term, January to April
- At the time of application, students must be registered with an at least 80% course load (24 credit hours) across the Fall and Winter Terms, in any bachelor’s degree program in the Faculty of Science.
Departments
- Students may undertake their research project through any department in the Faculty of Science and must be engaged on a full-time basis in research and development activities.
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Programs
- The Jack Prior Memorial USR Prize requires students to be registered in a Faculty of Science Major or Honours program and their eligibility is evaluated on their GPA and their previous or ongoing community involvement and/or leadership experience.
- H.D Gesser USR Prize in Chemistry require students to be registered in a Faculty of Science Chemistry or Biochemistry Major or Honours program.
Holding USRAs throughout your degree
- Students may hold only one university USRA per fiscal year (April 1 to March 31).
- Students may hold a maximum of three USRA awards (NSERC or Faculty of Science) throughout their university career.
Supervisors
- New: Supervisors of NSERC, NSERC Indigenous or NSERC Black student researchers award recipients do not have to be NSERC holders themselves.
- Supervisors for the Faculty of Science USRA, H.D. Gesser USR Prize in Chemistry, Jack Prior Memorial USR Prize, or Phil Hultin Pedagogy Fund must hold an appointment in the Faculty of Science.
For NSERC Indigenous USRA, Indigenous students must have self-declared on the University of Manitoba Indigenous Self-Declaration Form.
Additional considerations
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Co-op students
- Science Co-op students are eligible to apply for a Faculty of Science USRA (not an NSERC), including during their co-op work term.
- Co-op students are required to maintain an 80% course load during academic terms. Co-op work terms are considered full-time.
Enrollment and graduation
- A student in their final year with a declared graduation date must be registered in a minimum 60% course load (18 credit hours) to be eligible.
- Students who complete their degree requirements in December rather than April are eligible to hold a Faculty of Science award in the summer following their final term, but they must be registered and paying fees for the Winter Term (January to April) immediately prior to holding the award.
- Students who intend to graduate in the Winter Term 2025 are not eligible.
- Students who have applied or will be applying to the Faculty of Graduate Studies are eligible but must not have started their graduate program before the USRA work period has ended.
- Students with a General Science degree are eligible for the FoS USRA.
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Students from universities other than UM
- Students from other universities who have supervisors holding an appointment in the Faculty of Science are only eligible for the NSERC, NSERC Indigenous or NSERC Black student researchers awards.
Second degree
- Students already in possession of a bachelor’s degree who are studying towards a second bachelor’s degree are eligible to hold NSERC, NSERC Indigenous or a Faculty of Science award, provided they do not hold a higher degree (MSc or PhD) in the natural sciences.
Further details about the NSERC awards can be found on the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada website.
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Selection of students
- Ranking will be based on Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) for NSERC, NSERC Indigenous and NSERC Black student researchers awards.
- Faculty of Science USRA and the H.D. Gesser USR Prize in Chemistry will be ranked by the department and other factors, including seniority and choice of programs, may be considered.
- The Jack Prior Memorial USR Prize is selected by the Prior family.
Potential supervisors
Before applying for USRA, please explore the list of potential supervisors and their research interests listed in this section. Please note that you need to contact potential supervisors via email to discuss your research interests, potentially through a meeting. Supervisors must agree to support your application before the student applies for USRA.
Please visit the Philip Hultin Pedagogy Fund page for more information on supervisors for that fund.
Biological Sciences
Research interests of the potential supervisors in Biological Sciences (PDF)
- Gary Anderson
- Kevin Campbell
- Gail Davoren
- Jillian Detwiler
- Margaret Docker
- Kevin Fraser
- Mark Fry
- Darren Gillis
- Kenneth Jeffries
- Az Klymiuk
- Jae-Hyeok Lee
- Jeffrey Marcus
- John Markham
- Patricia Ramey-Balci
- Sylvie Renault
- Jason Treberg
- Byron Van Nest
- Jane Waterman
- Dirk Weihrauch
- Steve Whyard
- Olivia Wilkins
- Anne Worley
- Lei Xing
Chemistry
Research interests of the potential supervisors in Chemistry (PDF)
Analytical chemistry
Biochemistry
Inorganic and materials chemistry
Organic chemistry
Physical/computational chemistry
Computer Science
Mathematics
Microbiology
Research interests of the potential supervisors in Microbiology (PDF)
- Matthew Bakker
- A. Karen Brassinga
- Sean Booth
- Silvia Cardona
- Deborah Court
- Aleeza Gerstein
- Georg Hausner
- Ayush Kumar
- Brian Mark
- Ivan Oresnik
- Marike Palmer
- Peter Pelka
- Gerd Prehna
- Richard Sparling
- Miguel Uyaguari
- Hans-Joachim Wieden
- Vladimir Yurkov
Other research-focused faculty members may be available. Please see the Department of Microbiology website for further information.
Physics and Astronomy
Application process
Please be sure to only apply for the awards that you are interested in and for which you are eligible. (You may apply for multiple awards with one application).
Steps to complete before the end of Fall Term
If you would like to apply for an Undergraduate Student Research Award, you should complete these steps before the end of the term.
- Review the eligibility requirements to ensure that you can hold an award.
- Identify some potential supervisors, review their web pages and email the researcher to arrange a meeting to discuss research opportunities in their lab. Students must get pre-approval from the supervisor before submitting their application.
- If the researcher agrees to support your application, be prepared to submit the USRA application form in January, once the Fall Term's grades are available.
Prepare to apply
- Know your cumulative GPA.
- Have your web transcript ready to upload. These must include grades from the Fall Term immediately before applying. We acknowledge that some students may not receive their final grades until later in January, and we ask that students wait for their final grades from these classes before submitting their applications and uploading their web transcripts.
- Have the name of the professor you wish to be supervised by ready.
- Notify the supervisor that they will need to provide a letter of reference on your behalf. A link to a form for your supervisor to fill out will be provided for you to email to your supervisor once you complete your portion of the application form.
- Have a decision on what award or awards you are applying for.
- Prepare 1 to 2 lines for the proposed area of study.
- Prepare a description of why an undergraduate student research award is important to you in approximately 200 words.
- Students being considered for the Jack Prior Memorial Undergraduate Summer Research Prize must provide a written description of their community involvement and/or leadership experience in approximately 300 words.
- You should submit your application at least 2 days before the due date and notify your supervisor so that they can provide their written recommendation before the due date.
The application is available in alternate formats upon request to Alison.Tayler@umanitoba.ca.
Apply to USRAs
Please note that the USRA application form is now available for review only. Applications will open in early January and are due by the end of January.
Awards value
NSERC USRA and NSERC Indigenous USRA
Minimum value of $8,570.
NSERC provides $6,000 and the remainder (at least $2,570) will be provided by the Faculty of Science Dean’s Office and the supervisor.
($570 [FoS] + $2,000 [researcher] + $6,000 [NSERC])
- Researchers can increase their contribution beyond the minimum, especially when supporting senior, experienced trainees.
- The supervisor’s portion can be from an NSERC grant or any of their other research grants.
Faculty of Science USRA
Minimum value of $8,570.
The Faculty of Science Dean’s Office provides $6,070 and the remainder (at least $2,500) will be provided by the department and the supervisor.
($6,070 [FoS] + $2,000 [researcher] + $500 [department])
- Researchers can increase their contribution beyond the minimum, especially when supporting senior, experienced trainees.
The Jack Prior Memorial Undergraduate Summer Research Prize
Minimum value of $8,570.
The donor funds $6,570 and the supervisor $2,000.
($6,570 [donor] + $2,000 [researcher])
H.D. Gesser Undergraduate Summer Research Prize in Chemistry
Minimum value of $8,570.
The donor funds $6,070, the supervisor funds $2,000 and the department funds $500.
($6,070 [donor] + $2,000 [researcher] + $500 [department])
Philip Hultin Pedagogy Fund
Please visit the Philip Hultin Pedagogy Fund page for more information.
You may also be looking for
Undergraduate Research Awards (URAs)
For Faculty of Science recipients, the Office of the Vice-President, Research and International provides $5,000 and the remainder ($3,570) will be provided by the Faculty of Science Dean’s office and the supervisor. ($1,570 [FoS] + $2,000 [researcher] + $5,000 [VPRI]). Researchers can increase their contribution beyond the minimum, especially when supporting senior, experienced trainees.
Contact us
Alison Tayler
Awards Lead
Alison.Tayler@umanitoba.ca